Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) Project

Assisting Small Rural Hospitals to Prepare for the Future

SRHT has assisted small rural hospitals to prepare for the future of value-based care and Alternative Payment Models since 2014. SRHT wrapped up in 2020 with many accomplishments and has paved the way for a new transition project. Over the past six years, the National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) and many partners supported 52 onsite small rural hospital projects in 19 states. Funding was provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP).

This project was designed to support the 180 eligible hospitals in areas of persistent poverty. These hospitals, 49-beds and less, are more likely to experience financial distress and face challenges in the transition to value. Through SRHT consultation projects and educational resources, hospitals improved key financial and quality indicators such as total margin, patient satisfaction, and care transitions as these are strong drivers in moving down the road to payment models focused on quality, efficiency, and population health.

SRHT provided targeted financial operational assessments and quality improvement projects, onsite until early in 2020, then moved smoothly to virtual consultations. SRHT also built sustainability for the project recommendations and action plans through hundreds of educational resources for small rural hospitals packaged in the Rural Hospital Toolkit.

Success stories from the past six years are showcased through Hospital Spotlights and Hospital Videos & Outcomes. 

The Small Rural Hospital Transition Project was supported by Contract Number HHSH250201600012C from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

Program Contact

For more information, please contact Rhonda Barcus at (904) 321-7607 or rbarcus@ruralcenter.org.